The last time we took a Carnival Cruise, it happen to be our 20th anniversary. This go ’round, it was time for a family trip. After losing my dad, getting my mom moved and situated, enrolling one kid in college, another contemplating his dream of cowboying, and one ready for 2nd grade, we were due some rest and relaxation time. I can’t thank Carnival Cruise enough for sponsoring such a tremendous opportunity for me and my family.
For now, I’m gonna give you a quick overview of our trip, but stay tuned for more detailed posts regarding things for kids to do, things for adults to do, and off the ship excursions. I may even throw in a few tips that you might not know about!
A perk to our sponsored family trip, was being VIP. You could get some of the same perks as we did buy grabbing the Faster to the Fun pass! We were swept aside to another room where they gave us our cards immediately, and we were able to sit in a nice room with complimentary beverages. We were traveling with 5 other families so we stepped out of the room occasionally to wave hi. lol Within a few minutes, we were then taken aboard the ship, into the main lobby where we received complimentary drinks. I had a Miami Vice, Truett & Toby had smoothies, and my husband enjoyed a beer. Vacation had truly begun! We immediately started experiencing random happiness all around the ship.
When we got to our rooms, we made sure to set some ground rules, particularly for Truett. We explained how the Sail & Sign card worked, where maps of the ship were, and what to do if he couldn’t ever find his way to wherever he was going. With that, we let loose and enjoyed the ride.
Having two sea days before our first port, allowed us to explore and enjoy many of the onboard fun & services immediately. Truett’s favorites were the WaterWorks and Putt-Putt course but he also had plenty of other things that made him happy…..like the ice cream machine. Need I say more? Seriously, even adults were eating ice cream for breakfast and at midnight. It’s vacation after all so who cares, right?!
I have to say, this is THE most photos me and my husband have ever taken together and I LOVED it. That’s what a Carnival Cruise will do for you. It just liberates you and lets you be carefree, fun, and a go-with-the-flow type of person.
The first day we really did decompress from our 8hr drive and from “reality” as we know it. It was nice to just to soak up the sun on the decks, enjoy the music, and watch Truett be in awe of everything. And really, to see Toby embrace something so new, was awesome. Our kids have lived very sheltered lives living on those ranches, far from anything. This was such a nice change of environment for them. To make things even lovelier, we traveled with 5 other families so we had friends to hang out with too! This sweet gal, even made our matching shirts for the cruise!
There’s sooooo much to tell you guys about but that comes next week so STAY TUNED Y’ALL!! I have cool stuff to share and if my Toby can cruise, you can too!!!! He thought he would hate it but he loved it. Until then……
One of these days I’m going to get my husband alone for a week and take us on a cruise. Carnival looks like it’s loaded with fun things to do!